KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 29 — The Bertam Souk & Water Park in Kepala Batas, Penang had to close down just two weeks after opening its doors to customers on December 15, after it was found to be operating without a licence.

In a statement today detailing the events leading to the closure of the water park yesterday, the Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP) said its licensing department had on December 16 carried out an inspection of the water park and found that the water park was carrying out business without the necessary paperwork.

MBSP said it had issued a compound for the offence committed by the water park's owner, and had also issued a notice to order for the cessation of business within seven days, adding that the owner's representative had received both documents.

The offered sum which MBSP said the park's owner could pay for the offence was RM500, while failure to comply with the notice to stop all operations within seven days could result in a maximum RM2,000 fine or a maximum one-year jail term or both, with additional fines if the offence is continued.

MBSP said an inspection on December 22 was carried out where it was found that the premises operating without an entertainment licence was for water theme park activities.

MBSP said it had on December 22 issued a notice to the water park's owner under the Entertainment and Places of Entertainment Enactment 1998, requiring the water theme park activities to cease within three days.

But MBSP said it had on December 27 afternoon found that water theme park activities were still being held at the premises of the park, and on December 28 morning shut down the park.

MBSP said it had at around 9.40am on December 28 carried out investigations again and closed down the water theme park's operations for operating without an entertainment licence and for breaching the 1998 enactment, showing photographs of the park being cordoned off by officials.

Bertam Souk & Water Park's management posted on its Facebook page at 7.32pm on December 28 to inform customers that the park would be temporarily closed "until further notice due to unavoidable technical matters", and said it would announce its reopening soon.

At around noon today, the park's management took to Facebook to inform customers that it would extend the validity of water park tickets for customers who had purchased them online but who had yet to redeem them from December 28 onwards, with the validity extended until March 31 next year.

The park also provided contact details for water park customers seeking a refund.

Based on Bertam Souk & Water Park's Facebook page, it had in a December 10 Facebook post offered promotional discounts of 30 per cent, and stated these promotional rates as being valid from December 15 to March 31 next year.

On its website, the promotional ticket rates were stated as being valid until December 31 at RM38.50 (for children aged 12 and below and senior citizens aged 61 and above) and RM58.50 (adults) for Mondays to Thursdays, and RM44 and RM67.20 for those categories for Fridays, weekends, public holidays. At the time of writing, these tickets on the website were stated as "out of stock".

On December 27, local daily The Star reported Bertam Resort general manager Wan Enderi Mohd Saad as saying that the water park has been receiving an average of 800 to 900 visitors daily since its December 15 opening, with the highest turnout being last Thursday where there were around 1,300 visitors. He also said the resort will officially open at the end of next January.